Upper-buffer mechanism



Nov. 15, 1927.

.G. G. GILPIN UPPER BUFFER MECHANISM Filed April 2, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 15, 1927. 7 1,649,465

G. cs. GILPIN UPPER BUFFER MECHANISM Filed April 2. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 G fl 5, 611131111, Inrenior Patented Nov. 15,1927. 1

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GARTH COMPANY; or oriroaeo, ILLINOIS, a. CORPORATION or DELAWARE.

UPPER-BUFFER MECHANISM.

- Application filed April 2, 1926. -Serial No; 99,327.

Upper buffer springs are used to keep the diaphragm face plates of adj aeent passenger train cars in contact with each other on either a straight or curved track. Semielliptical or bowed springs are used for this purpose because they can also be arranged to keep the face plate in the center of the oar and also maintain the face plate in its proper angular po-sitiou' These semi-elliptical springs are attached to the diaphragm face plate at their middle portion and have their extremities attached to the car in such a way as to obtain the above mentioned desired results. I

Asemi-elliptical spring can be positioned and attached-on the outside of the car so that it isnoiseless; easy to inspect; accessible for repairs and has a low maintenance cost.

It is common practice to attach the middle of a semi-elliptical spring to a diaphragm face plate 'and attach its extremities to the end wall of the car by means whic permit the ends of the spring to move-and also provide an engagement between one extremity of the spring and the means that becomes effective when the face plate is forced into an oblique position with respect to the car, in rounding curves, or when it is caused to chafe by the uneven running of the car, which engagement distorts the spring, thereby tending to return the face plate to normal position. A sliding ar' rangement or a shackle construction may be used for this purpose. The spring may be reversed and still come within the scope of the invention, that is, the middle of the spring may be attached to the end wall. of the car and the extremities of the spring to the diaphragm face plate.

Some railway passenger train cars recently constructed are provided with an apexed diaphragm which acts as a water shed and also prevents the accumulation of cinders, etc. Such apexed diaphragms require an apexed diaphragm face plate and as the spring must be attached to the face plate outside of the diaphragm the middle portion of the spring is considerably higher from the rail than when applied to a face plate of the old construction. It is not customary nor practical in such cars to raise the end carline or ramp of the end wall ofthe car. When a straight semi-elliptical spring is 5 used with an apexed face its extremities do not bear upon the end carline, thus necessitating building up an expensive and-cumbersome bracket which must be very strong to accommodate the spring.

My invention relates to cars equipped with'an apexed diaphragm face plate and has for its object the peculiar formation of a bowed spring which can be attached to the face plate and also to the end carline of the car in the usual and customary manner. Thisdesired-result is accomplished by downwardly (or upwardly) deflecting the end portions of .the'spring from the middle portion, or in other words, the ends'of the spring are deflected downwardly so that the middle portion is not in alignment therewith.

In the drawings: I Figs. 1 and 2 show the device applied to'a railway car. i

Fig. 3 is a-sectlon on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 4 and 5 show the spring in detail.

Figs. 6 and 7 show'the device applied to a railway car wherein the'spring is equipped with a shackle construction.

Fig. 8' is a section on line8-8' of Fig. 6.

In the drawings the diaphragm 1 extends between the face plate 2 and the end wall 3 of the car and the semi-elliptical or bowed spring a with its ends 5 deflected from'its.

G. GILPIN, or RIVERSIDE, innmoisqassrenon T0 UNION METAL rnonuo'rs I and 3 the spring has a sliding engagement I with the bracket 10 and the upturned lip 11 on the end of the spring engages the bolt 12 mounted in the bracket to restrict the movement of the spring.

In the construction shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8 a shackle 20 is provided between the extremities of the spring and the bracket 21 which shackle has stops 22 and 23 which restrict the movementof the shackle 20 toward or away from the center of the car, respectively.

The brackets (10 and 21) should be mounted upon the end carline 24 of the car so as to transmit the pressure from the spring to the frame work of the car which necessitates the ends of the spring being below the middle portion of the spring and the spring is deflected or offset to suit these conditions.

While I specifically describe one application of the device, it is understood that there may be other forms and modifications thereof and I intend to file other applications for patents covering such other constructions.

I claim:

1. In a railway car, the combination of a diaphragm face plate, a bowed spring with its ends deflected downwardly from its middle portion, said middle portion secured to said face plate, and means for attaching the opposite ends of the spring to the end wall which permit the ends of the spring to move and also provide an engagement between one extremity of the spring and the means that becomes clfective when the face plate is forcedinto an oblique position with respect to the car in rounding curves.

2. In a railway car, the combination of a diaphragm face plate, a bowed spring with its ends deflected downwardly from its middle portion, said middle portion secured to said face plate, and means for attaching the opposite ends of the spring to the end wall which permit the ends of the spring to move.

3. In a railway car, the combination of a diaphragm face plate, a bowed spring with its ends deflected downwardly from its middle portion, said middle portion secured to said face plate, and means for attaching the opposite ends of the spring to the end wall which permit the ends of the spring to move a predetern'iined amount. i

4. In a railway car,'the combination of a bowed spring positioned between the diaextremity of the spring and the means that becomes effective when the face forced into an oblique position.

5. In arailway car, the combination of a bowed spring positioned between the diaphragm face plate and end wall of the car having its middle portion attached to one of said elements and with its ends deflected downwardly from said middle portion, and means for attaching the oppositeends of the spring to the other of said elements, which means permit the ends of the spring to move.

6. In a railway car, the combination of a bowed spring positioned between the diaphragm face plate and end wall of the car having its middle portion attached-to one of said elements and with its ends deflected plate is downwardly from said middle portion, and b means for attaching the opposite ends of the spring to the other of said elements,

which means permit the ends of the spring to move a predetermined amount.

7. In a railway car, the combination of a bowed spring positioned between the diaphragm face plate and end wall of the car having its middle portion attached to one of said elements and with its ends deflected in a vertical plane from said middle portion, and means'for attaching the opposite ends of the spring to the other of said elements, which means permit the ends of the spring to move.

GARTH G. GILPIN. 

